Stuart Hall's 'Notes On Deconstructing' The Popular

The definition of the term, popular culture, is not definitive. Each individual’s feelings toward the term may differ depending on their own standard of beliefs, values, and social behavior. In general, culture has to be accepted by the majority of the particular community, depending on the ideas and phenomena it entails. In Stuart Hall’s “Notes on Deconstructing ‘The Popular’”, he defines popular culture in a unique, thoughtful way. Hall agrees that popular culture involves society accepting new visions, attitudes, images, and perspectives that have gone mainstream in a means of making profit. The term also represents the open desires, displeasures, and cultural struggles that are prevalent, especially in the Asian American society. Within
Popular culture is shown everywhere; from social media, to commercials on the television, and even magazine stands at the local store. The impact of mass media and communications has played an important role in influencing the everyday lives of society. For instance, how people should look or dress a certain way has been a controversial topic amongst the public. This specific notion is heavily implied within television shows, social media, and magazines, in which many in the population are exposed to constantly. The famous public figures who appear on the various media forms seem to set a standard that men and women may strive to emulate. Especially in the Asian American community, young women, such as myself, are often culturally pressured to look thin, dress more modestly, and act fragile. Within the Asian American society, body image issues are prevalent because the expectation of being naturally slender is quite common. If people did not follow the norms of appearances, fashion, or behavior, they frequently feel a sense of ostracization from society. Though, not everyone feels subjected to the particular stereotypes or exclusions due to diverse experiences and
The distinct subcultures can challenge the principles of the parent culture by differentiation. Using the example of beauty and fashion in popular culture, there are subcultures that exist that do not follow the conventional standards that are expected in society. There are Asians who fall into the subcultures in which they have their own unique preferences in style, appearance, and behavior that do not fall into the category of popular culture. For instance, there are Asian Americans who are not thin, do not dress modestly, and do not act delicate. This relates to the everyday acts of resistance that people engage in that challenges the stereotypes and circumstances. According to James Scott’s Weapons of the Weak, everyday acts of resistance involves “continuous activities more subtle and nuanced -- grumbling and gossip, laughter and laziness, stupidity, and sabotage” (Scott, 89). Most people view an act of resistance as a mass of people joining together in a violent revolt against the powerful. But everyday resistance is usually subtle and can be in many different forms, whether it is taking a stance on an issue, not following the norms, or disobeying the rules. From my own observations of Asian American issues, I could see that body image issues and stereotypical issues of having high academic standards are pervasive. Personally, as an Asian American, I have